So check it. Our homie Tree just linked us to this new video that Eddie from Dynamic Autosports was talking about in Las Vegas. It was shot by this video crew that has experience doing extreme sports (Is that what he said? Can’t remember, due to the intoxicated state we were in. We apologize).

It’s great to see well produced footage of the Dynamic Autosports/Apex’i/Hankook team. The video team definitely had some great equipment, and we were glad to see someone showcasing the Hankook drivers this way! It’s about time those guys got some love – they’re the most slept on group of drivers in the Formula D series!

:: Motor Mavens

PS: What’s with the S&M outfits on the girls? It looked like it was HOT out there; those chicks must have been dying! LOL at their facial expressions and poses when the cars pass them by!

Today, I was looking through one of my old USB hard drives that contained some images from one of my Japan trips in like… 2004 I think? Or maybe 2005. Anyway, I stumbled upon this photo I shot with my old Canon 20D camera.

Even though Canon’s current product offering makes me think the 20D is a POS now, I gotta give it props because that’s the camera I had with me the longest… I shot with that thing for like FOUR years. That includes constant travel with at least one event per weekend, meaning I would shoot a minimum of 1000 images per weekend, using a “non-pro” bodied camera with a less durable shutter. In fact, my shutter did eventually fail on me at Road Atlanta last year. Thank God for good homies like Cody Wellons from S3 Magazine and John Choi from Falken, who let me borrow their DSLRs so I could finish shooting the event. Even though I was pissed about the broken camera, some of my other photographer friends thought it was cool – they said, “man, your camera broke because you took too many photos with it? That’s dope as hell… and your 20D has been all over the world with you!” True, I didn’t think about it that way!

So back to the subject matter, check out this purple Tecart’s AE86 Levin 2-door drifting at Japan’s famous Tsukuba Circuit. In the photo, the car is in a mid-drift transition and is about to be flicked to the left to continue through the D1 course… however, this photo was NOT taken at a D1 event!

This photo was actually taken at one of the legendary Battle Magazine“Battle of Drift” Competition events, which Japanese people nicknamed as “BM Cup” or “BM Hi.” For those who aren’t familiar with “BM,” Battle Magazine (now defunct) was very well loved by many Japanese drifting enthusiasts because it was the only magazine out there that really featured the cool grassroots drifting movement as it was happening in Japan.

I think most American and European drift fans nowadays only know about drifting from what they see in a “professional series” like Formula D and D1 Grand Prix. However, for guys like me, who have been following Japanese drifting since the 1990s, it’s all about the privateer efforts… back then, it was all about the super dope Japanese grassroots drivers who drift with their everyday street cars, battling different drift teams from different regions of Japan, etc. That’s what it’s all about.

By the way, did anyone notice the Japanese “team sticker” on the rear quarter window? It comes from one of my favorite AE86 teams… “Go Maru Japan.” More on this subject later – you better stay tuned to Motor Mavens!!!

Check out our newest video on Streetfire.net, which highlights video footage from the IDRC West Coast Nationals at the California Speedway Drag strip in Fontana. One of our friends, Tobin Honda from DSPORT Magazine was promoting the event, so we definitely wanted to be there to show our support.

FWD, All-Motor and Street class cars were running all day. Some of the car setups were pretty crazy, but many of them were modified street cars. It was cool to see the Honda Civics and CRX’s with wheelie bars and parachutes, but for us, seeing the normal street cars run was pretty cool because they were more stylish and were also driven to the track! You should also make note of the FWD ‘s grip tire placement. Not where you would typically see them on a dragster.

On the RWD side, you have to keep an eye out for one of our favorite cars at IDRC; the Mazda RX2 drag car that was featured in Antonio’scarspotting story from the event.

With the continued help of Antonio’s brother Dave, we were able to get some great coverage combining the footage from the small Canon HF S100 consumer HD video camera I’m testing with the video capabilities from Antonio’s Canon 5D MarkII digital SLR.

Enjoy the video and let us know what you think of the footage from the cameras!

Ink and Iron brought out some amazing hot rod crews and tattoo artists. One of the first traditional hot rods that got our attention was this Ford pictured above. The huge rear white walls, and the low and wide stance really set this Ford apart from the other cars. Not to mention that old school lock hanging on the trunk. Read more...

Forged Lexus F-Sport Wheels (You can buy 4pcs of the wider rear wheels only if you want!)

Hey Lexus owners and owners of cars with 5×114.3 PCD wheels!

Lexus is offering 20% off F-Sport (Lexus performance accessory line) parts expires at the end of this month. Consumers can print out the attached coupon and take it to their Lexus dealer to receive a 20% discount on purchases on any F-Sport accessory up to $2,000 (20% of a $10,000 purchase).

Lexus recently extended its F-Sport accessories to IS 250C, IS 350C and GS 350 (AWD and RWD) and GS 460. F-Sport is also available for IS 250 (AWD and RWD) and IS 350. Of course, F-Sport parts carry a warranty. When installed by a dealer, F-Sport parts have a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty OR the balance of the new car warranty at the time of installation (4 years, 50,000 miles) which ever is greater. If F-Sport parts are not installed by a dealer, the warranty is 12 months/12,000 miles.

PS: You can buy anything in the F-Sport lineup… but we like these 5×114.3 F-Sport wheels! You don’t even need a Lexus IS350 or GS350 to rock these! If you bought all four of the wider REAR wheels… just imagine how cool those would look on a Toyota Cressida or a Previa… or Lexus IS300! Imagine the possibilities…!

Check out the latest Falken Tire video that my homie Skylar Smith produced at Formula Drift Vegas. High production value, awesome cars and lots of smoke…what more can you ask for? This video speaks for itself, so take a look and let us know what you think!

Continuing our Motor Mavens Coverage on Formula D Las Vegas... many of the fans and media members seem to have been focused on only the Top 32 tandem competition, but those who braved the Vegas heat earlier in the day were treated to some pretty exciting tsuisou action from the Formula D Pro Am drivers. Props go out to all the Pro Am drivers for coming up through the ranks and doin it big! Read more...

The latest round of the Formula Drift Championship took place this past weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was sooooo incredibly hot in Las Vegas this past weekend; the Formula D teams had to work hard to make sure the drivers remained hydrated enough to perform at peak levels (last year, I remember seeing one of the drivers pass out because of the intense heat inside the car).

As a member of the media with a trackside photo pass, I remember being extremely uncomfortable because of Formula D safety rules requiring us to wear long pants instead of shorts at the track. However, just think about what the drivers must be feeling like - wearing full fire suits and Nomex underwear and HELMETS, sitting inside hot cars without air conditioning; with hot metal roofs working like a broiler due to the lack of headliners and insulation in a professional drift car.

Nevertheless, the crowd at Formula D remained upbeat and excited, due to the level of driving prowess they were treated to. Vegas drift fans are hardcore! Regardless of the heat, these fans were down to sit outside in the stands, sweating and cheering as their favorite professional drifters slid past them, dousing the grandstands in a bath of tire dust. Read more...